Calhoun speaks! (Most listen)

No time for witty, pithy intros, let’s just get to the meat and potatoes of this.

Jim Calhoun is back with the Huskies. He spent a few minutes with the media after practice Friday. The coach didn’t get very specific (at all) about the reason for his medical leave but did fill in a couple blanks.

— His condition is still unclear.

“As far as anything that happened to me, nothing that hasn’t happened to a group of other people,” Calhoun said. “If I thought that what happened to me would benefit other people, I would be more than happy to talk about it.”

Calhoun’s advice?

“If you’re not feeling particularly well you should probably go see your doctor,” Calhoun said. “I did and he was able to help with a temporary condition. After about two weeks it dissipated.”

Later, Calhoun said his doctor, Dr. Peter Schulman, sort of twisted his arm.

“He prescribed me to take off and take something, and I did,” Calhoun said.

— Calhoun never specifically said the leave was stress related but kind of inferred.

“Is my job stressful? It’s as stressful as you make it,” Calhoun said. “And I would make any job stressful.”

“It was painful to watch the games,” Calhoun said. “Exhilarating when we beat Texas, disappointing with the last nine minutes against Providence, nerve-wracking against Marquette and DePaul, heartbreaking against Syracuse.”

— His team has been struggling and Calhoun knows it.

“I think the team has been somewhat snake-bitten,” Calhoun said. “And I think it hasn’t taken advantage of everything it could have done. I think we’re a little better than what our record would show.

“I’m not going to be Jim Mora and say ‘Playoffs!’ ” he continued. “But I will say I’m not thinking about the NCAA. I’m thinking about the next game, which is Cincinnati.”

— Calhoun was asked about his future and the possible new contract.

“I have never, I don’t think, given any indication that I don’t want to be here at UConn or coaching basketball,” Calhoun said.

Calhoun said he will do the same thing at the end of this season that he’s done at the end of each of the last few seasons. He’ll wait until June or July to make firm plans for next season (whether or not to retire).

After last season Calhoun said he made an announcement so quickly (two weeks) because of an impending NCAA investigation and the Yahoo Sports story.

“I was being protected of something I felt was threatened,” Calhoun said.

“I thought UConn was being attacked. I thought we were being attacked,” Calhoun said. “And I wanted to be there. So I said yes right away.”

— Calhoun said he was actually cleared before Thursday.

“I was actually cleared for Syracuse and because of the six overtimes, Jim (Boeheim) and I meeting, all the other things, and quite frankly a little bit of snow,” Calhoun said, “they just thought it would be a great idea if I waited until the team came back.”

— A few UConn players were asked if Calhoun was any different leading practice Friday.

“No, he’s the same old coach,” Gavin Edwards said.

“Is that a good thing?” a reporter asked.

“Most of the time, yeah,” Edwards said with a laugh.

“It’s a great thing,” Kemba Walker interjected. “That’s what he meant.”

As you can tell from my other blogs, I think Jim Calhoun is one of the best Coaches ever in College Basketball History.

I do think it’s a bit odd that he just shows back up to work Thursday a.m. after missing 7 games from stress related issues that he doesn’t feel is worth discussing etc.

I think the Coach should give us (the fans) an exact reason for his disappearance. There are several rumors out there that he may have been suspended for 7 games for his tirades in the last home game prior to the Michigan game.